Lessons Learned
by Slayer88
Summary: This is a Sequel to an AU that I wrote about 5 years ago, "A Right Kind Of Wrong". Click on my profile and read "A Right Kind of Wrong" before reading this one. Four years after "A Right Kind Of Wrong", Buffy and Angel are roomates. Hope you enjoy it!
1. Chapter 1

Buffy sighed and put down her calculator. As much as she wanted to become a marine biologist, she really did not believe she could make it through all this math. She looked at the picture on her desk. Four years had passed since Cordelia's death and not a day went by when she didn't think of her friend. While she told everyone she didn't, she still blamed herself for Cordy's death. She could hear Angel and his girlfriend of the day, in his bedroom. She tried not to picture what was going on in there. It hurt too much. There was no doubt that they both still loved each other, they were just too scared to see where their relationship would take them. Buffy hadn't been with anyone else since their break up, but Angel seemed to have a different girlfriend every day. Buffy's thoughts were quickly interrupted by the ring tone of her cell phone.

"Hey Xand," she answered. Even after everything that happened between them, Buffy and Xander had stayed close friends. Mainly because Buffy knew he would need help raising Tiffany. In a way, she was friends with him in honor of Cordy. Angel, however, had not had a real conversation with Xander since Buffy showed up, beaten up, at his door step.

"Hey Buff! Do you think you could watch Tiffany for me tonight? I have a date."

"A date?" Buffy replied, astonished. Xander had not had a date since Cody's death. "Of course I will watch her. Who is this date with?"

"Remember Natalia from high school?"

"No," Buffy stated bluntly.

"Yeah, you probably wouldn't. She was really quite. Anyway, I ran into her at the Bronze last week. We got to talking and realized that we had a lot in common, so I asked her out."

"Does she know you have a daughter?" Buffy asked warily.

"No. I figure if I see us becoming serious than I will tell her."

"Why don't you come over before the date and I will help you get ready?"

"Sounds good," Xander excepted willingly. It had been over four years since he went on a date and he needed all the help he could get. "I'll see you tonight."

Buffy hung up the phone and walked into the kitchen for a snack. She decided she was done studying for her math test. A person could only be so ready. As she was skimming through the cupboards for some popcorn, Angel came out of his bedroom, buttoning his shirt, a small brunette trailing behind him. She was wearing a miniskirt and at least two inch heals. Her hair was perfect, with every strand in place. In fact her makeup was perfect as well. Buffy couldn't help but feel inadequate compared to this girl, or most of the girls that Angel brought home. She sheepishly looked down at her own outfit, which consisted of a plan t-shirt and a pair of jeans. She would never even compare to this girl. If this was Angel's type, which it was, why had he ever been interested in her?

"We should totally do this again sometime," the brunette stated, running her fingers through her hair.

"Yeah, sure," Angel replied half heartedly.

The girl sauntered her way up to Angel until she was pretty much standing on top of him. She unbuttoned a few of the buttons on his shirt, which he had just finished buttoning, and slipped her hand underneath it, grazing her nails across his chest. "Are sure you want me to leave? You'd be surprised at my stamina."

"I have to go to work," Angel lied. His clinic was closed on Saturdays, but she didn't need to know that.

"What did you say you did again?" Buffy scowled at the girl, who was obviously trying to postpone her departure.

"I'm a doctor."

"That's so sexy," the girl replied, moving her hands down to the waistband of his jeans. "You know, Doc I have this problem that I need to have checked out. Maybe you could look at it for me."

Buffy tried to restrain herself from gagging.

"I'm a pediatrician," Angel stated, getting annoyed with her persistence.

"Well, that's perfect because my problem is in a place that I would only show to a pediatrician. You see, I'm horribly horny, can you fix it?"

Buffy couldn't help but snort out loud, causing both the girl and Angel to look in her direction. Angel's girlfriends were all gorgeous, but not very intelligent. He never felt the need to have an intelligent conversation with them. In fact, he tried to do as little talking as possible.

"You're thinking of a gynecologist," Angel stated matter-of-factly. "I'm a doctor for kids."

"Oh," she pouted. The brunette pulled a small paper and pen out of her purse and quickly wrote something on it. "Well, call me," she said as she handed Angel the paper and walked out the front door.

After the door slammed behind her, Angel threw the paper in the trash.

"Who was that," Buffy asked.

"Kristen... or maybe Carol. I can't remember," he answered.

"Well, that one's a keeper," Buffy joked, even though it hurt her to see him with another girl. That was just the sacrifice she had to make when they decided to become roommates.

"It's better not to get attached," he replied, causing a short but awkward silence, as they both remembered their failed and dramatic relationship.

"Will you be home tonight? Xander is bringing Tiffany by," she stated trying to change the subject. She immediately regretted mentioning Xander when she saw Angel tense up at the sound of his name. Angel still hated Xander with a passion, but he tried to tolerate him for Buffy's sake. Although, in his opinion, Buffy should hate Xander more than he did, but she was too forgiving.

"I don't understand why you help him out. Especially after everything he did to you."

"I do it for Tiffany," Buffy replied and moved to the couch in the living room where she turned on the TV and flipped through the channels. Angel grabbed a beer and joined her on the reclining chair. It was moments like these, just lounging around, when Buffy wished they could curl up together and watch a movie.

Xander arrived with Tiffany about 3 hours later.

"Buffy!" Tiffany squealed, when she saw her favorite babysitter answer the door. Tiffany was growing up to look a lot like her mother. She had Cordelia's brown hair and big brown eyes. Buffy had to admit Xander was doing a good job of raising her on his own. He only stayed with Wal-Mart for a few months before he had found a job as a construction worker, which made enough money to support himself and his daughter.

Tiffany hugged Buffy and then moved to Angel. "Hi Angel!" she said excitedly.

"Hi Tiffany!" Angel scooped her up. "How's my favorite girl?" he asked, receiving a giggle in response.

"Hey Angel," Xander greeted him awkwardly.

"Hi," Angel mumbled in response, making it clear that he did not want to start a conversation.

Xander turned to face Buffy. "I can't thank you enough for watching Tiff tonight."

Buffy smiled in response, "Come on, lets get you ready." She led him into her bedroom.

As Angel entertained Tiffany in the living room, Buffy helped Xander prepare for the date. She ironed his shirt, styled his hair, and gave him some of Angel's cologne, unknowingly to Angel of course.

Angel hated the fact that he was helping Xander by watching Tiffany while him and Buffy got ready, but Angel loved Tiffany and secretly, he was not comfortable leaving Xander alone with Buffy after everything that had happened. Buffy swore that Xander was more mature now, which he was, but Angel knew he could never trust him again.

"I'll be back to get her by eleven tops," Xander said as Buffy walked him to the front door.

"There's no hurry. Just have fun."

Xander turned to Tiffany, who was on the floor with Angel, playing Barbies. "You be good for Buffy and go to bed when she says to. Don't put up a fight."

"I won't daddy."

"Can I have a hug and kiss?"

Tiffany ran to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Love you daddy."

"I love you too honey," he replied. "Thanks again Buffy," he said graciously and walked out the door.

Tiffany returned to her spot on the floor with her Barbies and Angel. Buffy smiled. She always knew Angel would make a great father. She had known that since that first day she had seen him playing football at the summer camp that he used to work at. It pained her to think that someday he would be the father of a child who wasn't her's.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Buffy woke up to the sound of slamming doors coming from the living room. 'Fuck,' she thought. Xander had spent the night with his date, so Tiffany ended up sleeping on the couch. She would kill Angel if he woke up the four year old at this hour. Buffy slid out of bed and made her way to the living room.

She was surprised to see that Angel wasn't the one making all the noise. Tiffany had climbed on top of the counters and was trying to reach the top cupboards. Buffy rushed to grab the child, whose balance was tipsy as she stretched herself to the cupboard.

"What are you looking for, Hon?" Buffy asked once Tiffany was safely on the floor.

"Pop-tarts!" Tiffany demanded.

"Sweetie, I don't have any pop-tarts. How about some lucky charms instead?" Buffy asked brightly.

"uh… okay, I guess," Tiffany replied hesitantly.

Buffy laughed and made her way to the other side of the kitchen. "Next time you want something, just wake me up and ask. Okay?"

"Okay," Tiffany responded and sat down at the kitchen table.

"What's all the noise about?" Angel asked as he walked out of his bedroom. He was still climbing into the pant legs of his jeans and was completely shirtless.

"Tiffany decided to make herself breakfast this morning," Buffy stated, unconsciously licking her lips. Sometimes she just couldn't help but stare at his bare chest. She missed the days when she could rest her head on that chest and listen to his heart beat. She quickly wiped the thought out of her mind. Around him, she constantly had forbidden thoughts.

"Ah!" he replied as he kissed the top of Tiffany's head.

As Buffy placed the cereal on the table in front of Tiffany, she took note of the fact that Angel did not have a female friend with him this morning. Despite his feelings toward Xander, he always treated Tiffany as if she was his own child. He wouldn't want her near any of the girls he usually brought home. They would have been horrible examples for a young girl, who was already motherless.

Angel turned on the Saturday morning cartoons and turned the swivel screen of his plasma TV so that Tiffany could watch it from her seat at the table. He sat on the couch and hoped Buffy didn't notice him watching her make her way around the kitchen. She was making her usual green tea, which she had a cup of every morning. He loved the way she looked in the morning. She was wearing a tight tank top and a pair of very short pajama shorts, which showed off a great deal of her legs, not that he minded as her legs were incredibly toned. Her hair was tangled and out of control, but he thought it looked cute.

When Tiffany had finished her breakfast, she made her way to the couch and sat next to Angel. "Buffy, come sit with us!" she demanded. If Buffy didn't know better, she would have thought Tiffany was playing matchmaker. She was always trying to get Buffy and Angel close together, but both of them played along, knowing that all Tiffany wanted was someone to play mother and father. Since she didn't have a very structured family dynamic, she tried to create one with them.

"Okay," Buffy responded and brought her tea with her to the couch. Tiffany lay down with her head in Buffy's lap and her feet in Angel's. Angel gave Buffy a quick smile and turned his attention back to the TV.

It was only a matter of minutes before Tiffany had started snoring in their laps. Angel took the opportunity to ask Buffy something that had been on his mind for a long time. "So, uh, next week is your spring break right?" he asked, unsure of how she would respond to what he was asking.

"Yeah, it starts Friday, why?"

"Next week I am visiting Ron in Kentucky." Ron was Angel's social worker when he was in foster care. Ron was the closest thing Angel had ever had to a father.

"Oh, do you need a ride to the airport?' she asked. She hated the idea of being alone in the apartment without Angel for an entire week, but they weren't together and she knew she couldn't keep him from going.

"Actually, I was hoping you would like to go with me. Ron's been asking to meet you for years now. He bought you a plane ticket too." Angel looked at her, searching her expression for an answer. He new this was a really weird thing to ask an ex-girlfriend, but it was really important to him, that Ron could meet Buffy.

"Angel! Are you serious?" She squealed, forgetting that Tiffany was asleep in their laps. However, she was quickly reminded when the four year old cried out. "Oh, Honey, I'm sorry," Buffy quickly apologized to Tiff. "Look," she said, trying to distract her, "Dora's on!"

Tiffany immediately forgot that her nap had been interrupted and she jumped to the floor in front of the TV.

"So, what do you think?" Angel asked, drawing the topic back to the trip.

"Of course I will go! When do we leave?"

"Friday morning."

"Oh my God, that's in three days!" she screamed and jumped to her feet. "I need to figure out what I am going to wear, I need to go shopping and pack." She ran into her room, looking for her suitcase.

Angel knew he should have asked her sooner, but he had put it off. He was afraid he would have had to tell Ron that she didn't want to come and that would mean he would have some explaining to do. Angel never really told Ron that he and Buffy were no longer together. Its not that he wanted to be dishonest with his pseudo father, but Ron had just been so happy that Angel had finally found someone who he actually cared for. Ron would have frowned upon Angel's current lifestyle.

Xander showed up to pick up Tiffany a few hours later. Buffy was busy with laundry when he arrived and upon his arrival, Angel stormed into his bedroom and slammed the door. Just seeing Xander, made Angel's blood pump so he avoided confrontation at all costs.

An hour after Xander showed up, Willow arrived. Buffy had called her up for an emergency shopping spree.

At the mall, as usual, Willow went overboard. She kept throwing outfit after outfit over the door of the dressing room for Buffy to try on. Over the years, Willow had pretty much given up on turning Buffy into a slut, however she did introduce Buffy to a sense of fashion.

"You're going to need some lingerie," Willow stated.

"What for?" Buffy asked as she tried on a white skirt and pink top.

"Come on Buffy! He invited you to go away with him for the week. Don't you think he will be expecting something back?"

"No, Angel has made it very clear he doesn't want to get back together. Besides, I'm sure we will be sleeping in separate bedrooms," Buffy replied, instantly shooting down the possibility.

"Buffy, please! Don't be so naïve. At least get one outfit."

"Fine," Buffy replied. The outfit Willow picked out was cute and if she didn't use it on the trip, hopefully someday she would have the chance to use it. After all, she couldn't stay single forever.

When Thursday night rolled around, Buffy was both excited and nervous about the trip. Would Angel expect sex? Was this whole trip just his way of getting laid? Would Ron be as great as Angel had told her? Why had Angel felt it was so important to take her along? While Buffy went to sleep early, all these questions ran through her mind and she only got about three hours of sleep that entire night.


	3. Chapter 3

"You really need to learn to pack light", Angel said as he juggled Buffy's three giant suitcases and his own small one. They were at the Sunnydale airport about to check-in their bags.

"Angel, I am perfectly capable of carrying my own bags."

"Excuse me, miss, just so you know, there is a twenty-five dollar charge for any extra bags," said the lady behind the counter.

"Oh… uh… I didn't know…" Buffy stuttered. It had been a long time since she had traveled. This must have been a new rule.

"That won't be a problem," Angel interrupted and handed her a fifty dollar bill. Ever since he became a Pediatrician, money had not been an issue. Everyone knew he was one of the best children's doctors around and they were willing to pay top dollar for his services. He looked at Buffy and shook his head disapprovingly. She smiled back sheepishly.

They finished checking in their bags and made their way to security. Luckily the line was short as they were already late due to Buffy's last minute decision to pack a third suitcase.

Angel went through security first. Buffy followed by placing her carry-on on the conveyer belt and walked through the metal detector. She made it through the metal detector without any problems, but her bag wasn't as lucky. The Security officer pulled her and her bag aside. Angel followed.

"We're just going to have to take a quick look through your bag," The security officer stated. "Do you mind opening it?"

"Not a problem," Buffy smiled and unzipped the bag. 'Fuck' she thought. At the last minute she had decided to take the lingerie that Willow made her buy. Her bags were already packed so she stuffed it in the bottom of her carry-on. The same carry-on that this man was now searching through.

He started pulling things out of her bag. First, her copy of Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstory, then her makeup, followed by that month's "Elle" magazine. He continued pulling items out of her bag and examining them.

'Please stop, please stop…' she kept repeating in her head. She took a quick glance at Angel to see if he was watching and sure enough, he was watching the security guard's every movement.

The security guard slowly pulled out her see-though…red…lace…teddy and laid it on the table next to all her other belongings. Next he pulled out her matching red lace thong.

Buffy could feel the blood rushing to her face. She stole a quick glance at Angel, who was staring at her with one raised eyebrow and a cocked smile.

"This is all clear," The security guard shouted to his partner at the other side of the security check point. "Sorry about that ma'am," he said to Buffy and walked away, leaving her to re-pack all her belongings.

She felt angry and humiliated as she shoved all her belongings into the bag and stormed off. Angel had to jog to keep up with her, laughing the entire way through the terminal.

"What?!?" Buffy snapped when they finally sat down at their gate. Angel was still laughing. "Don't even think that was for you because it wasn't. It was for somebody who is entirely not you! So DON'T get any ideas!" she rambled.

This made Angel laugh harder. "Don't worry I won't. I just figured it was for Ron." He said jokingly. Ron was in his late seventies.

Buffy heatedly got up and found a new seat at the opposite end of the gate.

A few minutes later the plane boarded. When Buffy made her way to her seat, Angel was already sitting in their row reading Harrison's principles of Internal Medicine, by Henry Seidel, one of his favorite medical authors. "Hey!" he smiled when she sat down next to him.

Buffy ignored him and pulled out her ipod and turned the volume way up so that even if Angel tried to start a conversation with her, she wouldn't hear him. Within minutes after take off, she was asleep. Her head had fallen on his shoulder.

"Excuse me, sir?" the airline stewardess was standing above them with a blanket in her arm. "Do you think your wife would like a blanket?" she asked.

Angel smiled at the word "wife" and didn't correct her. "Yes. Thank you," he smiled and took the blanket from her. He wrapped it around Buffy. His arm was starting to fall asleep, but he didn't move it. She looked so peaceful that he didn't want to risk waking her up. Instead, he placed a peck on the top of her head and continued reading his book, but after a few pages, he couldn't help his mind from wandering to the lingerie that Buffy had packed. When he pictured her wearing the red lace, he pants suddenly seemed very constricting. He set the book down on his crotch to cover up the bulge which had quickly developed. Angel couldn't help, but feel like a hormonal teenage boy and he hated it, but Buffy seemed to have that kind of power over him. Angel grimaced at his current state. He was never like this with other girls, even when he went out searching for a one night stand. He shifted uncomfortably and told himself, unconvincingly, it would go away in a few minutes. After changing positions, he immediately regretted the movement. When he had shifted, he bumped Buffy, causing her hand to, unconsciously, fall on his inner thigh. This was going to be a very long flight…


	4. Chapter 4

The drive from the airport to Bardstown, Kentucky was about an hour. Angel had let Buffy pick the rental car and they ended up with a red BMW Cabriolet. Now they were driving around Bardstown, Kentucky with the top down, even though it was only fifty degrees outside. As soon as they entered the small town, Buffy's jaw dropped open. It was like something out of her history book in high school. All the buildings were beautiful and white. They looked like they were built in the nineteenth century.

"Oh my God! Angel, you lived here?" she gushed.

"Only for a few years." Angel pulled up the driveway of a small blue cottage-like home. "And this," he said, "is home". They got out of the car and Angel popped the trunk to get the bags.

"Angel, it's gorgeous," Buffy said, still in awe.

"Hey, hey, hey!" shouted an old man with a southern accent from the porch. Ron was in his mid-seventies. His hair was all grey and he had a large belly. Buffy thought he reminded her of Santa Clause.

"Ron!" Angel shouted. Dropping the bags, he ran to hug his old friend.

Ron quickly hugged Angel and pushed him away. "Who is this beauty?" He asked Angel and pointed to Buffy.

Buffy blushed.

"Hi, Mr. Spencer. I'm Buffy!" Buffy introduced herself energetically.

"Mr. Spencer? Who you callin' Mr. Spencer? That's my grand-daddy! You call me 'Ron', ya hear?"

"Yes sir."

"Well, no sense stayin' out here. Lets get inside. You must be exhausted." Ron held the door for them as Angel, once again, struggled to juggle Buffy's bags.

The inside of the house was filled with old fashion style furniture.

"Go ahead and make yourself at home," Ron said as he pulled a beer out of the refrigerator, which was covered in a child's crayon drawings and pictures of Angel as a kid, wearing all different kinds of baseball uniforms. Buffy looked at the clock. It was only ten in the morning. That seemed a little early to start drinking.

Buffy decided to allow Angel and Ron sometime to catch up and she gave herself a tour of the house.

The living room was rather small with a beautiful fireplace. She noticed there wasn't a television anywhere. There were only two couches and a large coffee table. The walls were decorated with old photographs. All the flooring in the house was wooden.

There were only two adjacent bedrooms. The master bedroom had a queen sized bed with a blue quilt covering it. There was a black and white picture of a young couple hanging on the wall. The room had a small attached bathroom.

The next room was much smaller. It had a twin bed with a red plaid quilt. The walls were covered in Red Sox memorabilia. Everything from the lamp to the trash can was baseball themed.

"I see you found my room," Angel's voice rang in her ear.

Buffy turned around. Their faces were no more than an inch apart. "I thought Ron was just your social worker."

"He was, but when I lived in Bardstown I stayed with him every weekend, so he made me my own room."

"I didn't know you were this obsessed with baseball."

Angel laughed. "Yeah, it pretty much took over my entire life. Come here." He took her hand and led her into the room.

Buffy's hand tingled at his touch. Her senses were always kicked into fifth gear when they were close.

"You want to see my mother?"

Buffy nodded. Both Angel's mother had run off when he was only two years old. He rarely talked about her. Buffy didn't know if it was because he didn't remember her or if the topic upset him to much, but either way, she never brought it up.

Angel motioned for her to sit down on the bed as he reached into the top drawer of the nightstand. The drawer was completely empty except for one small, wrinkled picture. He handed it to her and sat next to her.

"Angel, she's beautiful." Buffy wasn't lying. His mother had reddish brown hair with blue eyes and very pale skin. She was very thin. In the picture, she was wearing a green dress and balancing a chubby baby on her hip. Buffy assumed the baby was Angel. His mother was standing in front of a very run down house. The house was very small. In fact, it looked more like a shack than a house at all. Buffy couldn't imagine anyone living there.

"She was. Too bad she didn't believe she was. She always had the scummiest boyfriends. She was a sucker for the abusive ones. She never had any confidence in herself. I think that's why she left. She thought he was the only guy who would ever like her."

Buffy knew Angel wasn't looking for her pity. He just trusted her with his dark past. She was always someone he could confide it. Buffy continued to stare at the picture. "Do you ever want to find her?" she asked.

"No. When she left she decided she didn't want me to be a part of her. I don't need her. I have my own family now."

Buffy looked at him blankly. Angel didn't have any family.

"I have Ron, Spike, Willow, Tiffany, and you. I have some of the best friends in the world. I don't need a drunken mother to complicate things."

Buffy gave him a sad smile in agreement. Angel tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Listen, Buffy. I brought you here because I wanted to talk to you about-"

Suddenly Buffy's cell phone rang, cutting him off.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hi Buffy. It's Riley."

"Hey, Riley." Buffy smiled. Riley was the TA of her psychology class at UC Sunnydale. He had asked her for her number right before spring break and had offered her free tutoring sessions to prepare for the final. Buffy knew Riley had other intentions when he offered to tutor her and while she wasn't the least bit interested, she felt very flattered by his offer.

"Hey Buffy, I was just wondering if you wanted to meet up and I could help you prepare for the final like we talked about."

"Actually, I'm out of town for the week. I'm sorry. I should have told you, it was kind of a last minute trip."

"That's okay. Will you give me a call when you get back?"

"Of course. I will talk to you later then"

"Bye."

"Who was that?" Angel asked curiously after she hung up.

"Riley. He is a TA for one of my classes. He offered to help me study for the final," she responded.

Angel stiffened at her words. "Why would he do that? You have straight A's."

"Maybe he is just being nice. Gees. I didn't realize I had to ask your permission." She said defensively after sensing his aggression.

Angel smiled to lighten the mood. "You don't. I'm sorry. Besides you can't study with him because I have you for the whole week." He laid down on the bed and pulled her on top of him.

"Oh you do, do you?" She laughed and rolled on to her side to avoid what could have been an awkward position.

Ron cleared his throat from the doorway. He was holding a different beer this time. "Sorry to interrupt you two love birds, but I made pancakes and there getting' cold."

Buffy blushed at the name "love birds". She understood that to anybody else, their playfulness would have made them appear to be a couple. From the term, she could tell that Angel had never told him otherwise either.

"Come on." Angel grabbed her hand and pulled her off the bed.


	5. Chapter 5

"Ron, these pancakes are amazing!" Buffy said as she shoved another bite into her mouth. She was sitting around the kitchen table with Ron and Angel.

"Oh, well I just follow the directions on the box. I'm not a very good cook."

"He's just being modest," Angel stated. "Ron makes the world's most amazing pancakes."

"So, do you have any plans for the afternoon?" Ron asked changing the subject.

"Well actually, I was hoping Buffy would let me take her for a ride on the bike." Angel looked at her hopefully.

"By 'bike' you mean something with petals and no engine, right?" She looked at him like he was out of his mind.

"Actually, I mean 'bike' as in a nineteen ninety-one, Sportster, Twelve Hundred."

"What the hell is that?" she asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

When Angel brought Buffy around the back of the house and into a small garage to see the Harley, she was speechless. It was smaller and a little daintier than she imagined a Harley to be. It was black and chrome with thin wheels. She had to admit, it was hot.

"I didn't know Ron was into motorcycles," she stated. The bike was in mint condition and surrounded by five other Harleys, all of different colors and models. "How much did all these cost him?"

"Who said they are all his?" Angel responded as he pulled a shiny black helmet off a shelf which held many other helmets along with it.

"Whose are they then?" She cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Well, most of them are his, but this one," he said, indicating to the black Harley, "is mine."

"What?!? How did you afford it?"

"Lets just say, I started mowing lawns when I was seven and never spent a penny of what I earned until my seventeenth birthday when Ron gave me the extra three hundred I needed to buy it." He placed the helmet on her head and adjusted the straps.

"Whoa! What are you doing?" She exclaimed.

"Please Buffy? I promise, I won't go fast unless you're comfortable." He gave her a puppy dog look that he knew she couldn't resist.

"Fine, but nothing over twenty miles an hour," she agreed, sourly. "So you planned on buying this since you were seven and you never spent any of your earnings? Not even to take a hot cheerleader out?"

He grabbed his own helmet and began putting it on. "Well, this model didn't exist when I was seven, but I knew I wanted a Harley. Ron had me in love with motorcycles from the first day I met him. And I did work at a pizza place for extra money for the girls." He winked at her.

"Ahh!" Buffy knew Angel had lost his virginity when he was only fourteen and she knew he had to spend at least a little money on dates.

"Lets go." Angel hopped on the bike and Buffy followed behind him, wrapping her arms around his muscular abdomen. Once more, she felt the electric current that surged between them and it gave her goosebumps. The engine started with a roar and Angel kicked the bike into gear. He slowly started off around the house and down the driveway. Keeping his promise not to go over twenty, he continued to inch down the street.

Buffy was surprised by how comfortable she felt on the motorcycle. She kept her arms wound tight around his firm body. Part of her didn't dare to loosen her grip and the other part just didn't want to. She was flooded with his familiar scent.

"You okay?" he asked when they came to a stop sign.

"Yeah."

"Can I go a little faster?"

She nodded in response and tightened her grip.

This time, he sped off much faster. The cold wind stung her face, but she enjoyed the feel of it blowing through her hair. She looked around, taking in the scenery. Bardstown, Kentucky really was a beautiful place. Everything was so green. The trees blended with the grass as they raced by. She hid her head behind his large back to hide her face from the wind.

After about thirty minutes of riding, Angel parked the bike in front of a large lake which was surrounded by trees and grass. She slid off the bike and he did the same. Buffy took off the helmet, letting her hair fall down over her shoulders. Angel just stared at her, caught up in her beauty.

"What?" She finally asked when she noticed the funny smile on his lips.

"Nothing," he responded, taking off his own helmet and pulling the key out of the ignition.

Together, they began walking towards the lake. "So, why don't you keep the bike in Sunnydale?" she asked.

"I don't know. I guess I just don't have time for it. Besides, Ron enjoys maintaining it."

He noticed the goosebumps on her bare arms and took off his leather motorcycle jacket, holding it out for her to push her arms through the sleeves. He then continued to zip it up for her, their eyes locking as the zipper made its way to her collar. Buffy quickly looked away and continued down the hill.

Once they got to the edge of the water, Angel sat down in the grass and grabbed her hand, pulling her down with him. "You want to know a secret?" he asked with a cocky grin.

"What?"

"My motorcycle license expired three years ago," he stated, knowing it would make her freak.

"Angel! You could have gotten arrested!"

He laughed. "Buffy, I know every cop in this town. Believe me, were fine." He lay down on his back, enjoying the warm sun on his face combined with the crisp air.

She turned to look at him. "You know that picture on the wall of Ron's room?"

"Yeah."

"Who's that lady in it with him?" She lay down on her stomach next to him, but still facing him.

"Her name was Catherine. She was his wife."

"What happened to her?"

"She died when I was thirteen. Car crash. She was Ron's life. They were so in love, inseparable even. She was the one who convinced Ron to become a social worker. She couldn't have children, so instead, they had dozens. I doubt she ever had an ounce of unkindness in her. She was always so full of life. I remember one time; she came home with champagne and cake. She lit candles in the dining room and decorated the whole house. When Ron came home and asked her what they were celebrating she simply told him, we were celebrating 'today'. That's the kind of person she was. Then one night, she never came home. Ron got a call from the police department, asking him to identify her body. I swear, when she died, she took a large part of him with her."

"Is that why he drinks so much?"

"That's probably part of the reason. He also just likes to drink."

"I can tell." Buffy paused, taking in what Angel had just told her. He had never mentioned Catherine before. "Catherine sounds like an amazing woman."

"She was. You would have loved her."

They were quiet for about ten minutes. Buffy stared out onto the water, while Angel gazed at the sun. There weren't any ducks in the lake. The water was still too cold for them.

"I'm sorry for sleeping with Xander," Buffy said suddenly, breaking the silence.

"What?" Angel responded, shocked by her sudden confession. "Buffy, that was over four years ago. Where is this coming from?"

"If I hadn't screwed everything up, we could've had what Ron and Catherine had."

Angel sighed. "Don't blame yourself. I made my fair share of mistakes as well. Our relationship was complicated. It still is."

"Yeah, but if I hadn't-"

"Buffy." He'd interrupted her a little harshly, but he really did not want to talk about the downfalls of their relationship. "Please… don't." He reached down and clasped her hand with his own. Angel more blamed himself for their failed relationship than he did Buffy. If he hadn't allowed Darla to play him the way she had, Buffy never would have gone to Xander in the first place. Darla was the biggest mistake he had ever made, but even without her, they probably wouldn't have worked out. They were two very different people.

They sat for a few more minutes, both deep in their own thoughts, before Angel started to get up. "It's getting dark, we should head back."

They silently made their way back to the motorcycle, which was sitting exactly where they left it, waiting for them.

That night, Buffy fell soundly asleep in Angel's childhood bed, while he lay on the couch in the living room, his mind racing too fast to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

On their last full day in Bardstown Buffy woke up to her cell phone ringing and Riley's name flashing on her caller ID screen.

"Hello?" she answered groggily.

"Hey Buffy! It's Riley." He was extremely perky for eight in the morning.

"I know. What's up Riley?" Buffy sat up and looked out the window. She still couldn't get over how beautiful Bardstown was.

"Oh not much. I'm just wondering when you are coming home."

"I'll be home tomorrow afternoon. Why?" She said, resenting him for reminding her that this was her last day in paradise and tomorrow she would have to return to the real world.

"Well, I know you have that project for Professor Walsh's class, so I was thinking we could meet at the library and I could help you with it and maybe, if you want, we could go to dinner and a movie afterwards."

"Are you really allowed to help me with a project that you will be grading?" Buffy found Riley to be very peculiar and a little desperate.

"Well, no, but we don't have to tell anyone."

"That's cheating." Studying for a test which Riley hadn't yet seen was one thing, but helping her with a project, which he was grading and knew exactly what she needed to do for it was another. That was something she could get kicked out of school for. Buffy had already suspected that he had given her a couple of free points on some past tests and that made her nervous enough.

"Okay, well then, how about just dinner and a movie."

"Riley that sounds a lot like a date." She made her way to the bathroom and frowned at her disheveled appearance in the mirror.

"That was kind of the idea."

"I don't date." She turned on the water in the shower and waited for it to warm up. She hadn't gone on a single date since her and Angel had broken up and she didn't plan on going on any. She had decided a long time ago that she couldn't handle the drama that came with her past dating experiences so she gave it up for life, or at least not anytime in the near future. She was perfectly content with remaining single, or so she tried to convince herself.

"Well, in that case, we won't call it a date. It will just be two friends, who happen to like each other, going to a movie and dinner."

"I don't know, Riley. Can I call you when I get home?"

"Sure. Take your time."

"Thanks, Ry. I promise I'll call when I get home."

"Bye Buff."

"Bye Riley." Buffy sighed and hung up her phone.

"Who was that?" Angel said from the doorway of the bathroom, startling her. Buffy turned to face him. He wasn't wearing anything but a pair of jeans. His eyes were glaring down at her.

"Just Riley."

"Are you going to go out with him?" He scowled.

"Were you eavesdropping on me?"

"I asked you first," he said, childishly and he was very well aware of his childishness. He hadn't really meant to eavesdrop. He had come to the bathroom to use the shower before Buffy woke. The day before she had used all the hot water and he really didn't want to have to take another cold shower. When he heard her on the phone talking about going on a date, well what did she expect? How could he not listen in?

"He promised to help me with a project." Buffy was getting irritated. He was being ridiculous.

"I doubt he is calling you because he wants you to get a good grade. He probably doesn't even give a shit about your project," Angel said, angrily.

"You know him so well don't you? Angel, I'm not your girlfriend, remember? Or did you forget about Candy, or whatever the hell her name was, from the other night? I don't know what you expect from me, but I'm not going to sit around waiting for you while you fuck whoever the hell you want. I'm moving on just like you did." By now she was yelling at him. She knew that Ron could hear them and she had probably just woken him up, but at this point she didn't care.

"Goddamn it Buffy. Has this week meant nothing to you?" he yelled.

"Angel did you honestly think that inviting me on this trip was going to solve all our problems? You're a couple years too late, don't you think?"

"You're not going out with him."

"Who the fuck do you think you are? I can go out with whoever I want. You don't have any claim on me and you sure as hell don't deserve one. You bring home a different slut every night and you have the balls to tell me I can't go out with somebody! Go to hell, Angel."

Buffy slammed the bathroom door in his face. Angel stood in the doorway, stunned. This was the first time in four years that she had ever truly told him how she felt. He had been bringing girls home all the time, but never really thought about how it had made her feel. One night stands were just how he dealt with things. He was so caught up about not showing weakness to her that he'd never thought about what he was doing to her. She'd said she was waiting for him. Did she really mean that? If she did, he'd just spent the past four years royally fucking every over. He felt another surge of anger although this time it was directed at himself instead of Buffy.

"Fuck!" he yelled and without thinking, he drove his fist into the wall with all his strength.

Underneath the warm water of the shower, Buffy finally allowed the tears to stream down her face. How could Angel be so possessive when all he did was sleep around? She didn't even want to go out with Riley, she was just too much of a coward to reject him. Buffy thought more about that girl that Angel had brought home the other night. There was no way she could compare to that kind of perfection and beauty and that was the type of girl that he wanted. It was time to move on, she concluded. Angel already did and it was pathetic to wait around for him, especially when he was looking for someone who spent five hours in front of the mirror everyday.

When she heard Angel curse and a loud band, which shook the walls, she was abruptly taken away from her thoughts. Her first instinct was to go after him to make sure he was okay, but she resisted. Right now she didn't want to face the sight of him. And besides, he was a doctor. He could take care of himself, she reasoned.

When Buffy finished shaving her legs, she stepped out of the shower and dried off. She decided to let her hair air dry. She quickly slipped on the pair of jeans and the tank top that she had brought into the bathroom with her. She reached for her phone and dialed Riley's number.

The phone went straight to voicemail. "Hi…um… Riley, this is Buffy. I was just calling about that date and I… ah… wanted to let you know that…um… I would really like to go out with you. I'm sorry I hesitated earlier. So…um… just give me a call when you get this message," she said and quickly hung up.

'That was real smooth, Buffy,' she thought to herself, wincing. She had sounded so nervous and childish, like she was fourteen all over again. At least Riley had seemed desperate enough that he wouldn't change his mind over her stuttering, although maybe he should. She didn't have a clue what she was doing.

When Buffy left the bathroom, she noticed a large sized hole in the wall next to the door and blood splattered around the punctured area. She knew Angel well enough to know exactly what had happened and she wasn't the least bit surprised when she entered the kitchen and saw Ron dressing Angel's wounded and bloody hand.

"Are you sure you can move all your fingers?" Ron asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It looks like I just tore some tissue around my knuckles. It's nothing that won't heal on its own."

Ron shook his head. "Well, you're the doctor." For someone who spent all day in a doctor's office, Ron couldn't understand why Angel was so opposed to the idea of getting his hand checked out. His hand needed to be properly wrapped and even with Angel talking him through it, Ron didn't have a clue what he was doing. It was impossible for Angel to do it himself with only one good hand.

"I'm really sorry about the wall. I'll fix it myself this afternoon." Angel apologized for the fifteenth time.

"I know you will," Ron said as he cut the medical tape. Honestly, Ron hadn't really bothered to think about the walls. He was more focused on fighting back the nausea from the sight of blood.

"You know, when Catherine and I first got married we used to fight like that all the time. Now looking back, I hate myself for it. I would do anything for another day with her and we wasted time that we had together fighting. Don't make the same mistake I made," Ron stated. He really liked Buffy and over the past four days, he'd developed a fatherly love for her. In his mind, she was the perfect girl for Angel to settle down with and start a family. He wanted Angel to be happy and it was clear that, that is exactly what Buffy did for him. He also wanted grandchildren and he wanted them before he was dependent on a walker, or even worse, a scooter.

"It's too late. I lost Buffy a long time ago. I just thought, with how well things were going here, that maybe we had another change, but I just fucked everything up."

"You know she was right. You can't try to stop her from seeing other people. She's an amazing girl, Angel. If it's meant to be, you'll get her back," Ron replied, but really he knew that they would need to talk all their problems over. Both Buffy and Angel seemed too stubborn to act like mature adults around each other.

Buffy decided she needed to be alone to think. She didn't want to face Angel. She was tired of yelling and being yelled at. She changed into her running clothes and, after notifying Ron so no one would worry, she went out for a jog.

Angel spent the rest of the day thinking about how he was going to apologize and replacing the dry wall with his good hand. He would have preferred to pay to have someone fix the wall, but he knew Ron would not approve. Ron didn't believe in paying to have anyone do something he could do himself. At least the work gave him time to think.

Seven beers and three hours later, Angel finished with the wall. The sun was setting and Buffy still hadn't returned. Ron had told him that she had gone running, but she usually only ran for an hour. He wasn't really worried because nothing ever happened in this small town, but he decided to go look for her anyway. He grabbed the keys to his motorcycle and headed out the door.

Angel didn't have a clue where she would be, but he enjoyed the drive, despite the chilling wind that whipped against his face and the fact that he was probably over the legal alcohol limit, although, he didn't feel drunk; he had a very high tolerance level, but his blood alcohol level mixed with his lack of a motorcycle license probably wouldn't do him much good if he got pulled over, so he drove very carefully. Besides, he needed to decide what he was going to say to her and a slow drive would give him time do that. He envisioned himself walking up behind her and embracing her in a passionate kiss, which, if it was up to him, would lead to other things, but he would probably just get a slap in the face. He needed to prove to her that he still cared about her and his first sacrifice would be his one night stands. If he was going to get her back, it wasn't going to happen by screwing other girls.

When Angel drove by the local park for the third time, he noticed a figure on the swing structure. He swerved the bike to the curb and cut off the engine. Squinting to get a better look, he made out Buffy's familiar figure.

"Hey," he called out to her as he got off the bike and approached her.

"Hey, yourself," she replied. She'd heard him coming all the way up the road. One thing that Harley was not was quiet.

Angel sat down in the swing next to her. "That was a really long run," he said trying to lighten the mood.

"Well, I took a break and saw a movie." She smiled at him. When she got to the point that she thought she was going to collapse if she ran anymore, she opted to see a movie instead of returning to the house.

"Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have flipped out like that. I don't want to see you get hurt again." He said, which was a true statement. When he'd heard Buffy on the phone talking about a date, he was brought back to when she had turned up beaten and battered by Xander.

"Angel, you hurt me more than Xander ever did and more than Riley ever can."

"I know," he responded sadly and made a promise to himself that, somehow, he would make up for the last four years.

"I know how you felt with Riley asking me out. I feel the same way every time you bring a new girlfriend home."

Sometimes she really had a way with the guilt trips, but he knew she wasn't purposely guilt tripping him. Angel held out his hand and Buffy took it. "Are we okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm starved. Do you want a cheeseburger?" she asked and instantly the tension between them had drifted away.

Angel smiled. "I'd love one. I know just the place to get them too. They make the best cheeseburger I have ever had."

"I can't wait."

They got up and headed towards the motorcycle. Angel put his arm over her shoulders and nuzzled his face into her hair. "I love you, Buffy."

"I know," she responded.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: I didn't really like how some parts of the story were flowing, so I went back and made some changes. Mainly, I just corrected grammatical mistakes and some small character details, but I also added a few scenes. Most of these changes occurred in chapters one and six. You might want to go back and read them so you don't miss out on anything.

On Friday night, Angel was relaxing on the couch with a beer. CNN was on TV, but he wasn't really paying attention. He had, had a very long and trying day at work and he desperately wished he could go back to being on vacation again. All day, the clinic had a constant rush of patients. Many parents, not trusting other doctors, had not wanted to bring their children in until Angel returned from Kentucky, brought their children in to see him today. The one downfall of having wealthy parents bring their children to see him was that they were extremely demanding. They seemed to find it very difficult to accept the common cold. They always demanded that he conducted useless tests to find an illness that their child did not have. The worst were the parents who believed their child had Attention-Deficit Hypertension Disorder. They seemed unable to cope with the fact that their child was acting out simply because they had been attention deprived by their fathers with demanding jobs and their stay-at-home mothers who hired nannies to take care of the kids so that their social lives would not be interrupted. They all threw shit fits when he refused to prescribe Ritalin for their children. It had been a very long day and Angel knew that it was just going to get longer. Tonight was Buffy's date with Riley. She had been in her room for over an hour getting ready.

Angel took a long sip of his beer. He was glad that he had the weekend to look foreword to. Although, he wasn't sure what he was going to do with all the free time he had ahead of himself. It had been a very long time since he hadn't spent his weekends at bars, hitting on girls in search of a one night stand. There was only one girl he wanted, and for once, he wasn't going to screw anything up any worse than he already had.

In her room, Buffy tossed a tenth dress on her bed. It had been a long time since she had been on a date and the nerves made her sick to her stomach. To make things worse, she hated every outfit in her closet. If she wore something scandalous, she might give Riley the impression that she was willing to have sex on the first date. On the other hand, if she dressed conservatively, she'd look like someone's grandma. She continued to stare at the ten dressed that were laid out on her bed. She really needed Willow's help with this one, but Willow had a date of her own. Willow would just tell her to go with the most revealing dress anyway. Buffy considered her motives for going on the date in the first place. She'd spent the past few days trying to convince herself that she was going because she thought Riley was a nice guy and a potential boyfriend, but who was she kidding? She wanted to make Angel jealous, just as he had done a million times before. Considering this fact, she decided to pick something on the more scandalous side.

"So I guess you decided to go on that date," Angel stated when Buffy emerged from her room, slipping on a stiletto heal which matched her red dress. She looked beautiful. The dress was strapless and knee-length. Her hair was held up in a pony tail and her makeup was perfect, although, Angel didn't really believe that she needed any. He tried to cover up the jealously that flamed inside of him when he thought of someone else having the chance to touch her perfect skin.

"Yeah, I did," Buffy responded uncomfortably. Her response was followed by an awkward silence. Luckily, the unpleasant situation was cut short when the doorbell rang.

"That's probably for you," Angel stated as Buffy checked appearance one more time in the mirror. He could have answered the door as he was much closer to it than she was, but he wanted to sit and pout a little. He knew that he would have had the chance to scare Riley off if he answered the door, but he promised himself that he wouldn't mess things with Buffy up anymore and he was going to keep that promise. He had to let her go without a fight.

After making sure, for the fifth time, that every strand of her hair was in tact, Buffy made her way to the door.

"Hi, Riley," she said smiling as she opened it.

Angel strained to see the boy behind the door. In his opinion, Riley looked like a total geek.

"Hi, Buffy." Riley replied and handed her a large bouquet of flowers.

"Oh Riley, these are beautiful. Thank you." Buffy took the flowers and raised them to her face to smell them.

Angel held back a growl and finished his beer in one chug. Why hadn't he ever thought of giving her flowers?

"Are you ready?" Riley asked.

"Sure, just let me put these in water. Come in." Buffy left the door open for Riley to follow her inside the apartment and shot Angel a warning glance.

"Riley, this is my roommate Angel," Buffy introduced them as she searched the kitchen for a vase.

"Hi Angel. It's nice to meet you." Riley made his way over to the couch where Angel was sitting and held out his hand for a hand shake.

"Same to you," Angel responded, but ignored Riley's handshake offer. He sized Riley up. He was tall, but still shorter than Angel and much scrawnier. He wondered how many punches it would take to knock the nerd out.

Riley felt uncomfortable under Angel's deadly gaze. He would have to ask Buffy about her hostile roommate later. He shifted his attention back to his date, who was bent over looking for a vase in a low cabinet. "Buffy you look amazing," he stated, with his eyes fixated on her bottom.

That was all Angel could take and this time he didn't even attempt to suppress the low growl in his throat as he clenched his hands into tight fists, turning his knuckles white. He got up and made his way to his bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

"You're roommate seems a little protective," Riley stated after Angel had made his dramatic exit.

Buffy finally found a vase hidden in the far back of the cupboard and was now arranging the flowers inside of it. "Hmm," she replied, hoping Riley would take the hint and drop the subject. She was upset with Angel for acting the way he had, but she would confront him later.

"Did you two date or something?" Riley asked. Buffy's brevity had sparked his curiosity even more.

"Angel and I? Uh… no. Angel's gay," she lied. She didn't want to get started on her past relationship. Explaining it would take all night. Besides, if things got a little more serious with Riley, he would probably have issues with her living in her ex-boyfriend's apartment.

"That's odd. He didn't seem at all like…" Riley trailed off.

Buffy turned to face him. "Okay, I'm ready," she stated.

Riley held his hand out for her as she approached him and together they left Angel alone in the apartment.

As soon as Angel heard the door shut behind them, he threw his beer bottle against the wall and watched the glass shatter and fall to the floor in many small pieces. He'd pick it up later. He couldn't believe what a horrible day it had turned out to be. He decided he wasn't going to sit around and wait for Buffy to come home, if she even would. He desperately needed to get drunk. He picked up the phone and dialed Spike's number.

Buffy's date with Riley had been, insofar, uneventful. He was a nice guy, but she just wasn't interested. Although, she had to admit that he had good taste. He had brought her to an upper-class sushi restaurant, which had a very romantic feeling to it.

"Have you decided?" Their waiter asked them as he poured each of them a glass of Pinot Noir and placed the bottle on their table. Buffy hated red wine, but Riley had ordered it before she had a chance to say anything.

.

"Yes, I'll have and order of Tai rolls, California rolls, and eel," Riley ordered

"And you, ma'am?"

Buffy opened her mouth to speak, but Riley interrupted her before she could speak.

"She'll have the same," Riley ordered for her.

Buffy was starting to get annoyed with Riley ordering everything for her. She didn't even like fish. She'd wanted tempura.

"Just wait until you try the Tai rolls, there amazing!" Riley stated, taking a sip of his wine.

Buffy nodded and toyed with her wine glass. She pictured Angel sitting in Riley's place and suddenly the date seemed so much brighter.

"Aren't you going to have some wine?" Riley asked, interrupting her thoughts, when he noticed Buffy wasn't drinking.

"Oh yeah," Buffy responded and took a small sip, trying not to gag on the wood-like taste. "It's great," she stated as she gulped back the disgusting liquid. This night was going to suck.

Spike arrived with a bottle of whiskey about an hour after Angel called him.

"Hey, mate," Spike greeted Angel as he let himself into the apartment.

"Hey." Angel emerged from his bedroom, which he had been in since Buffy left with Riley.

"I brought the hard stuff just like you wanted."

"Great. Let's get this party started." Angel grabbed two whiskey glasses from the kitchen and took the bottle from Spike, pouring two very full glasses.

"Ah, Peaches, I know you don't party as much as you used to, but two people doesn't really constitute as a party."

"How's Dru?" Angel asked. Despite Drusilla's lack of sanity, Spike had managed to stay with her and a year ago, they tied the knot. Their wedding had been more than colorful. Drusilla had planned a gothic style wedding and walked down the isle in a black dress. Spike wasn't pleased, but she was only willing to get married if it was done her way, so he tolerated it. Angel had been Spike's best man.

"Well, we were going to wait to tell people, but we're having a baby," Spike announced and chugged his drink.

"Wow! A baby huh? Well, congratulations," Angel replied and tried to envision Drusilla as a soccer mom. He couldn't see it.

"I'm scared as shit, mate. I'm mean… a father? Me? Kids just aren't something I planned on."

"Well, how does Dru feel about this?"

"She's happy, I guess. I don't know. She's started collecting dolls. I'll come home from work and she'll be sitting there rocking them. It's weird as fuck, but that's Dru for you. Where's you pet?" Spike always referred to Buffy as "Angel's pet" which made Buffy really uncomfortable, but secretly, Angel liked it.

"She's on a date."

"Really?" Spike asked. "Buffy's on a date?" With the exception of the short time she was with Xander, Spike had never seen Buffy with anyone except Angel

"Yup," Angel stated.

"Well, that bloody sucks for you."

Angel chuckled. Spike always had a way with words. "To your baby." He held up his glass.

Spike shook his head. "Naw, mate. To girls. They make our lives suck, but we love them anyway."

"To girls," Angel agreed and poured most of the contents of his glass down his throat.

Riley walked Buffy up to her doorstep and waited as she opened her door, hoping she would invite him in. They could hear loud laughter coming from inside. When the door was completely open, they could see Angel and Spike, clearly drunk, playing Halo on Angel's PS3, which he rarely used. Buffy figured the video games must have been Spike's idea.

"Hi pet," Spike slurred when he saw Buffy.

"Hi Spike," Buffy replied before turning back to Riley.

"Is that your roommate's boyfriend?" Riley asked under his breath.

Buffy looked at the two drunken men in her living room. "Yeah, it is," she responded, suppressing a chuckle at the thought. She turned her attention beck to Riley. "I had a great night," she lied, crushing his hopes for being invited into her bedroom.

At those words, the little amount of his attention that Angel had kept on the game drifted to Buffy and her date.

"Yeah, me too. I would love to go out again," Riley replied as he went in for a kiss.

If Angel wasn't watching, Buffy would have moved away from the kiss, but feeling Angel's gaze upon her, she waited for Riley's lips to reach hers. The kiss was wet and disgusting, but she let it continue for Angel's sake. After all, he was getting a taste of his own medicine. When Riley's tongue slipped inside her mouth and his hands cupped her bottom, she abruptly pulled away.

"I better get inside." The words rushed out of her mouth.

"Okay, I'll call you… Bye, Buff." Riley winked at her before turning around and making his way back to his car.

Buffy closed the door behind him, making sure to lock it.

"How was your date, pet?" Spike asked when he saw the look on her face.

She shook her head in response. If Angel wasn't right there, she probably would have gone into more detail, but she didn't want him to benefit from her crappy date.

"You know," Angel stated, drunkenly, "I really don't like him."

"Angel-," Buffy warned. The night had been extremely long and she was much too tired for this.

"He called you 'Buff'!" Angel pointed out, knowing very well that Buffy hated that nickname. "And he had no right to touch your ass like that," he continued, stumbling to stand up.

"You're acting like a little boy."

"That guy's a pig… and a geek," he added.

"And you're a drunk," she shot back. "I don't remember asking for your opinion."

Despite his drunken state, Angel knew he was going to fuck things up if he didn't get control over himself. "You're right, I'm sorry," he apologized.

"It's fine. I'm going to bed."

Angel decided to use the situation to his benefit. As she passed him, he reached out to grab her hand. "Buffy, let me take you out and show you how you should be treated."

"You're so immature. This isn't a competition, Angel."

"Come on, Buffy… or do you go by 'Buff' now?" He stated angrily. He wasn't going to take "no" for an answer. He took a deep breath to collect himself once again. "It's just one date," he stated quietly.

"Fine," Buffy backed down. She just wanted out of this argument and she knew how stubborn Angel could be. "But until then, leave me alone!" she screamed at him before making her way to her room and slamming the door.

"If that is what you want," Angel replied and stormed into his own room, hurt by Buffy's words, but also thrilled about their upcoming date. He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he completely forgot about Spike in the living room.

"I guess, I'll just let myself out then," Spike stated.


End file.
